UNC Lenoir Hospitalist Varun Chukka gets the COVID-19 vaccine. Photo Jose Perez / Neuse News

UNC Lenoir distributed the first six doses of the COVID-19 on Thursday after receiving a shipment of 975 doses. Following the COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan, the first round of vaccine doses are for 1 A employees to include frontline employees who take care of patients with COVID-19. At UNC Lenoir, there are 901 frontline employees who were offered the vaccine. The hospital is not requiring its healthcare workers to take the vaccine.

“Some people are very eager to take it, and some don’t want to take it at all. That is our employee’s choice,” said Beverly Jenkins, the Director of Marketing and Medical Staff Development.

UNC Lenoir has 1 B employees as well who will be the second tier of employees to receive the vaccine. Additional doses left over from the first batch not used by the employees will be distributed throughout the UNC Healthcare system.

Brandy Burd, RN, Director of Critical Care was one of the first six to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, as well as Dr. Claire Paris, UNC Lenoir Officer and City of Kinston Mayor Don Hardy, Dr. Robert Gallaher, Pharmacy Operations Manager Jessica Cunningham, and Hospitalist Varun Chukka.

“I want to take this time to thank all of our providers and the rest of the hospital staff for the heroic work they’ve been doing since March. This has been a really tough nine months or so,” said Robert A. “Bob” Enders, Jr. the CEO of UNC Lenoir Health Care. “We have helped a lot of people here, but I think it would be appropriate to take a moment of silence for the people who were not lucky enough to be here when the vaccine arrived.”

After a moment of silence was observed, Enders conveyed the importance of taking the vaccine.

“We are encouraging you to take this vaccine, everybody here in the county and throughout the country, to take this vaccine,” said Enders. “This is our road to recovery and to get us out of the pandemic.”